How to Make The Most of Your Time Abroad
Studying abroad gives the opportunity for an opportunity to plug into a new culture for a short, but sweet, amount of time! Whether you go abroad for a few days, a few weeks, or a semester, there will never be a better time than studying abroad to make the most of out such an immersive experience.
Not only will you learn about another culture’s way of life, but you get to experience situations, iconic places, and events firsthand. Who wouldn’t want to make the most of it!
We’ve put together six tips when maximizing your experience abroad:
Connect with the local language
The effort to connect with the local culture will really help language learning and cultural understanding. Whether you go abroad with a more advanced level of the language, or you're still trying to get more conversational, you won't get close to knowing your potential without consistent effort!
Not super out-going, but want to take that first step? Find a friend, or someone who you feel comfortable speaking with, try to push yourself as far as you can go on every given day. Don't judge yourself for feeling tired, or missing home, one day but make a point to make the effort the next day.
Make your own home away from home
Be immersive in the culture! Apart from knowing the language, it’s recommended for study abroad students to research before getting on the plane. However, the best way to learn about the culture is actually integrating in it!
Barranco District, Lima, Peru
Once you land and get settled in, take the time to view everything at your own pace, rather than rushing around to check a place off your bucket list. Doing what the locals do can also help make you feel at home, such as participating in cultural traditions, conversing with others in their native language, and appreciating local foods.
live in real time
Put the camera down and live in the moment! It’s great to have the photos as memories, but relying on your phone as a comfort can sometimes limit you to available opportunities. Oftentimes, it’s difficult to perfectly document the beauty of a location, so you might consider being a spectator with your own eyes, rather than a lens. In short, put yourself out there, get off your phone, and take in the culture!
enjoy yourself & take care of yourself
Check in with yourself and reflect on how you’re feeling. Consider finding a sense of normalcy in a routine. Maybe find a coffee shop you enjoy stopping by, or creating a playlist that makes you happy. Discovering things that make you feel comfortable during your stay will ensure a more relaxed spirit.
In other words, do what you need to do in order to enjoy your semester abroad. It’s okay to hang low for a weekend, instead of traveling with friends. That’s one of the best aspects of travel - every country has opportunities for however you’re feeling!
Expand your social circle
Getting to know other study abroad students can be reassuring, knowing that they’re from a similar background as you. Even so, make an effort to befriend local students and peers! This opens up the door for you to better understand your host country’s culture. There’s no doubt you’ll learn plenty from them by experiencing life together.
embrace your experience abroad
Though this might sound self-explanatory, it’s worth mentioning! As much as living abroad is all about the fun times, it’s important to focus on academics, which could also influence your career path or major once you return home!
Allow yourself to assimilate with your new university for a semester or academic year. It can be challenging sometimes when dealing with a different education system. You may take on a range of classes and subjects where the course content is a bit different compared to your usual choices at home. With that said, give yourself enough time to get a handle on your new school schedule before the semester is almost over!
As you get settled, find a way to infuse your hobbies and your passion into the work that you do so you’ll have a keepsake from your study abroad and a piece that you can show employers to help boost your resume. During our study abroad program in Lima, students do a personal project related to their classes that can infuse their hobbies and their academics.
Students can volunteer with local organizations to create a project that helps serve the local community and showcase their professional skills. For example, in the past, we’ve had students help develop organizational systems for a local non-profit supporting women. Another student of our study abroad students made a curriculum for students with autism who wanted to learn how to surf.
What do you love to do? What skills are you developing in and out of your classes, and what ideas do you have for a project that encapsulates that? We’re here to help you design it!
The amount of time that you have studying abroad is limited, and no one should come back from study abroad with regret. Let your experience become timelessly formative, to make the most of studying abroad. If you want a life-changing experience, you’ll have to push yourself out of your comfort zone!
Have you considered studying abroad but aren’t sure where to go next for information? Visit our study abroad page to find out more about our year-round program in Lima, Peru and why it’s so special!